PC Help: Freezing After Log In

[Tanis]

Issue:
PC freezes after log in.
It takes a few seconds, but the screen will just freeze.
Mouse works, but nothing else can be clicked or brought up.
-Not even CTRL-ALT-DEL

Trying to fix my aunt's computer.
-Dell Desktop
-WinXP SP3
-~2008

I've done the following:
Run a check via Dell's software and 'no issues found', at least not with hardware.
Run PC in Safe Mode and uninstalled all the damn 'probably a virus' crap she installed.

Looking for any ideas that might help.

 

[AWAR]

-snip

Can you log in in safe mode?
You can try the following:
Scan with MalwareBytes and then run CCleaner, also run the registry cleaner included, then go to tools/startup and disable any crap that looks suspicious. If for some reason you can't run CCleaner, go to start, click run, type msconfig and repeat step 4.

A thorough dusting out is also recommended.

 

[Tanis]

Thanks.
She already has Windows Defender, which didn't find anything, but that's not saying much.
I'll try to see if those things help.

-EDIT-
Well, instead of freezing instantly...it lasted around 5 minutes.

Got ride of around 350 individual viruses.

Any other ideas?

Cause, if I can't get any...
I'm gonna wipe everything.

 

[AWAR]

Got ride of around 350 individual viruses.

Damn...
Well can you run ccleaner or msconfig?
If this fails too you will probably be better off reformating it, be considerate though, people don't really like having their files deleted so don't forget to backup first.

 

[Tanis]

I ran Windows Defender, again, and Norton.
Caught ANOTHER 200+ viruses.

I killed everything I didn't recognize via msconfig.
I'll be running CCleaner today.

The recovery partition on her PC is fraked.

Luckily I have both an XP disc and a W7 disc.

I'm looking into seeing if I can just install W7 on her machine.

 

[AWAR]

I'm looking into seeing if I can just install W7 on her machine.

Wouldn't recommend it if the pc has less than 2 gigs of ram.

Did you also run MalwareBytes? It tends to dig out more stuff than your run of the mill antivirus.

 

[Tanis]

@AWAR:
MWB is the one that found 'around 350 individual viruses'.

The other two found another 200+ viruses that MWB missed.

My aunt...is computer retarded.
:/
Even AFTER I made her account a non-admin she still manages to screw things up.

It has two GB of RAM, I've also got some extra that I may install for her at a later date.

 

[AWAR]

@AWAR:
MWB is the one that found 'around 350 individual viruses'.

The other two found another 200+ viruses that MWB missed.

My aunt...is computer retarded.
:/
Even AFTER I made her account a non-admin she still manages to screw things up.

It has two GB of RAM, I've also got some extra that I may install for her at a later date.

Does she use any specific software or just browses the net? If the latter is true she may be better off with a Linux distro like Mint, which is idiot proof and virus free. I've set it up for people that are almost computer illiterate before and they were fine with it.

 

[Tanis]

Managed to install Win7 on the machine.

Seems to be working, so far.